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Study: Cobain's Suicide Didn't Inspire Copycats

October 20, 1996|By From Tribune News Services.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON — When rock star Kurt Cobain's life ended with a shotgun blast, it seemed the classic trigger for an explosion of copycat suicides.

But while there was a big jump in suicide crisis calls in Cobain's hometown, there was just one clear imitation suicide, according to a study published in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior.

In four weeks beginning with Cobain's death, 18 suicides were recorded in Seattle and the rest of King County, including Cobain and an obvious copycat.

More research is needed to determine whether that was also the case nationally, cautioned David Phillips, a researcher on the issue.